Name the responsibility, not just the title
A founder who can interview customers and test pricing may not be the same person who can run a supply chain or build a repeatable sales process. Write the current bottleneck in plain language. Then identify the experience that would help someone own it.
Customer discovery
Need: learn whether a problem matters. Look for thoughtful interviews, synthesis and willingness to change an assumption.
Sales and distribution
Need: reach and convert relevant customers. Discuss the buyer, route to market, sales cycle and what evidence exists.
Operations
Need: deliver reliably. Explore process design, suppliers, service quality and practical trade-offs.
Show what you bring too
A technical founder should explain the current product, the assumptions still being tested and the time they can commit. A prototype without customer evidence is a starting point, not a reason another person should automatically join.
Be specific about what is shared and what remains open. Can the new partner influence the target customer, product direction and operating model, or are you asking them to sell a solution you will not change? That difference matters when someone is considering a founding role.
“I build [specific product or capability] for [customer]. We have learned [evidence, or honestly say not yet tested]. I can own [work] for [time available]. I am looking for someone to own [commercial responsibility]. Our first working test could produce [small output].”
Explore business strengths on Aspair
Use your Co-founders profile to list the skill you offer and the skill you need, such as engineering, sales, product design or operations. In Discover, search for the relevant skill and use sector, specialism, commitment and location filters where they help.
Match signals can highlight explicit overlap between a stated need and a listed skill. They also show shared startup interests and time differences. A person writing “Sales” in a profile does not establish performance or prove experience; ask about a real example and their role in it.
Current results depend on eligible members in Aspair's early community. There is no guaranteed local pool, funded-founder pool or available partner for every sector.
Ask for a useful account of past work
- What was the starting problem and what did you personally own?
- What did you change after hearing from customers?
- Which result can you explain with context, rather than a headline number?
- What would you test first with our current resources?
- What could make this responsibility difficult for you right now?
Use the LinkedIn shortcut as an external reference, then ask direct questions. Aspair's profile review is not a verification of professional claims.
Test collaboration with a bounded commercial task
For customer discovery, agree a small set of interview questions and compare what each person heard. For distribution, map a realistic route to a few relevant conversations. For operations, outline the delivery process and one failure point to test. Choose learning and shared decision-making over a vague promise to “do growth.”
Discuss time, responsibility and expectations using the fit worksheet. Before making formal ownership or company commitments, get the appropriate professional advice for your situation. The trial guide focuses on the practical work you can evaluate first.